Laid off? 'Keep a positive attitude'

Nov 05, 2008 (Omaha World-Herald - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- GOOG | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- If you're already gone, baby, gone, or about to be laid off, experts say there are a number of things you can do to move on successfully.

Besides being sure your resume is in tiptop shape, Peggy Noll, co-owner and executive vice president of Noll Human Resource Services, said the most import action you can take is to not "burn any bridges" at your current workplace.

"People make the mistake of taking out that angry or hurt feeling on the place they are leaving. But the first place your future employer is going to call is your former employer."

Don't forget to take care of what Noll calls tactical tasks, such as getting paid, getting severance, addressing health insurance and other benefits, and so on.

It's also a good idea to get a letter of reference from your supervisor, she said. It should spell out why you were terminated, such as a general layoff, or elimination of your position.

"You should ask what's going to be said to future employers who call," she said.

Finally, Noll said, "keep a positive attitude." Omaha's economy is better than the rest of the nation, and job hunters should be optimistic, she said.

When you find out about a position, think, "That can be my job," and go after it, she said.

"Don't let much grass grow under your feet."

Aaron Filipi of Omaha was among the ranks of the unemployed for "8 weeks, 5 days and 15 hours" and wrote about his experiences for a journal last summer in The World-Herald and at Omaha.com.

He said he didn't go to a job service or head-hunting agency, choosing instead to network with professional contacts.

"Every jobless situation is personal," Filipi said. "The key to transitioning from joblessness to landing a good job, I believe, is believing (wholly) that joblessness doesn't mean worthlessness."

Filipi said job hunters have to be confident but not overconfident.

"Just like someone who's insecure about themselves isn't very attractive, so too is a candidate seeking employment."

Employees are expensive, Filipi said, and businesses don't want to waste money on someone who isn't confident they can do the job.

Filipi established short-term goals while job hunting.

"My primary rule of engagement . . . was to have at lest one employment-related, personal meeting with someone every day -- in the form of a coffee, breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks or an interview."

He said he completed only one application but had more than 14 interviews and more than 30 meetings.

"Finding a job is a full-time sales job -- selling yourself as the commodity. Just like in sales, it's all in the numbers -- more meetings, more potential to land the right job.

"And the longer a person is looking, the more prospective employers question the seeker. It's been my experience that personal interactions versus e-mail or phone conversations is the foundation of my strategy."

Filipi, whose job was eliminated after a merger, did search for positions online and with the Nebraska job service but said he had more success networking.

He put his profile on LinkedIn, a business-oriented social networking site, and used Google documents to set up a Web site with his resume that prospective employers could access.

Employed again, Filipi said he plans to recount his efforts and post an extended version of his journal online. He also hopes to write a self-help book with an online component.

"It will be a place where people can collaborate on different ideas and not feel alone when they are unemployed," he said.

The real problem with being unemployed is money, or the lack of it.

Jerry Egermier, president of Egermier Wealth Management Group, suggests looking at finances immediately.

Egermier normally recommends that people have enough savings to fund three to six months' of living expenses. But, he acknowledges, many people don't.

"If you are going to be in a situation where you don't have anything saved, look at areas to cut back."

Egermier, who is a certified financial planner, said people should consider trimming luxuries that they may consider essentials, such as cable TV service and cell phones.

Departing workers should check whether their former employers will continue to provide health insurance as part of a severance package, he said.

Larger firms must offer COBRA benefits under the federal Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, which gives workers and their families the right to continue health benefits for a limited time.

The catch, Egermier said, is that the employee must pay both his and the employer's share of the premium, and employers can charge up to 103 percent of their costs.

Ronald E. Joyce, administrator for unemployment insurance benefits programs at Nebraska Workforce Development, said claims can be initiated either online at https://uibenefits.nwd.- ne.gov/BPSWeb/jsp/BPS- ClaimantWelcome.jsp or by phone at 402-458-2500.

Nebraska Career Center offices statewide also provide telephone access to file an unemployment insurance claim. The time for completing claims takes longer on Mondays and Tuesdays. Filing later in the week does not extend the normal processing time. If people have worked for employers within the state of Nebraska, using the Internet to file is the more direct way to register claims for benefits.

If qualified, workers can receive a minimum of $30 a week or a maximum of $298 a week for up to 26 weeks, depending on earnings in four of the last completed five quarters. In 2009 the maximum amount will increase to $308 per week.

It can take 14 to 21 days to process claims, at which time eligible weeks would be payable either to debit card or direct deposit, Joyce said.

Once you apply, Joyce said, a claims specialist will check and make sure all of the employer information is correct. Eligibility to receive unemployment benefits is based on the employment history. A person who voluntarily leaves a job or whose performance results in dismissal may have to wait up to 12 weeks before receiving benefits, Joyce said.

He said the number of weeks a person can collect benefits may be extended for up to another 13 weeks through the Extended Unemployment Compensation program. Anyone who exhausts their regular benefits would be notified of their potential eligibility and could file a claim at that time.

Once the claim has been completed, the individual will be told of his or her eligibility requirements and directed to report to the local Nebraska Career Center Office to register for work. If so directed, a person should report and complete the application as soon as possible.

The offices are located in major communities, with smaller offices in towns statewide, Joyce said. You can find locations at nebraskaworkforce.com, he said.

To continue receiving benefits, people must check in weekly via the Internet or by telephone and answer a series of questions about whether they have worked, have looked for work, and are able and available for work. During any week, people may be eligible if they are partially employed and earning less their weekly benefit amounts, but any work and earnings must be reported week by week.

When a claim has been filed, a claimant information booklet is mailed. It explains the requirements for eligibility.

"We also advise them to take advantage of our retraining programs and information on training," Joyce said.

He said more than 10,000 weeks were claimed and more than $2 million was processed in unemployment insurance compensation for Nebraska individuals nationwide in a recent week.

--Contact the writer: 444-1087, chet.mullin@owh.com

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